Small Business Today Magazine JAN 2015 AIM GLOBAL LOGISTICS | Page 14
EDITORIALFEATURE
Who Are the
Next Marketers?
By Rita Santamaria
W
ho are the next marketers? They are called
“Digital Natives”, a
term coined in 2001 by
researcher Marc Prensky to describe people born after 1980
when social digital technologies such as Usenet and bulletin board systems came online.
Digital Natives are characterized
as having access to networked
digital technologies and the skills
to use those technologies. Major parts of their lives and daily
activities are mediated by digital
technologies: social interaction,
friendships, civic activities, and
hobbies. A Digital Native has
never known any other way
of life and they are marketing
products and services like none
of us have ever done before!
Digital Natives are
primarily Generation
Y and Z and to some
extent Generation X.
trust is equated as something to
be feared. But if they were to
conquer fearing the technology
learning curve, there would be
greater time efficiency and increased production occurring.
While the Natives literally
grew up with the tools in their
hands, the Immigrants took
classes and tried out new concepts in the hopes of reshaping
their business world for the better. In the days of paid newspaper and magazine ads being
the only tool truly available,
those forms of marketing were
Digital Natives are primar- costly. Today, by using one’s own
ily Generation Y and Z and to software, a good e-marketing
some extent Generation X. task can be done with little
These generations who have money and utilizing just a little
grown up with the latest tech- more of one’s time.
nologies use the tools and prinShowing a house for sale or
ciples learned from them to
market and plan their business any product you are hoping to
success and also integrate their sell via media, video, and pictures takes time and practice;
personal relationships.
Boomers are Digital Immi- once it is embedded in your ad,
grants in that all the technolo- it is launched to hundreds of
gy and Internet were learning prospects and your cost is minicurves for them which took mal while your coverage is huge.
“leaps of faith” and “giant steps
Digital Natives convey mesof trial and error”. With every
new tech tool, software, and sages quickly. They communicate
contact management program succinctly by texting and emailthat has come about, there has ing and social media is targeting
been blind trust from the Digital their prospects consistently. All
Immigrants, Baby Boomers, and Immigrants have to keep pace
Silent Generation. That blind with the fast, efficient, interactive,
12 SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE [ JANUARY 2015 ]
and colorful marketing demonstrated by our Natives.
There are some technologies that are changing daily and
all Generations must be in the
loop to keep marketing fresh.
These technologies encompass
the multitudes of communication methods that have been
created including text, pictures,
humor, video, and real time.
There are tools such as YouTube which need to be utilized
like the Natives utilize to keep
marketing strategies front of
mind. And,YouTube is free!
The practice of direct mail and
cold calling are not to be thrown
out to the curb but must be
mixed heavily with the myriad
of devices that make for speed,
humor, effectiveness, and advertising and can be previewed at
the leisure of the client.
Yes, the Boomers and Silents
built the sales world with their
concepts and practices but now
the Gen X,Y, and Z are building
the sales world more efficiently.
They believe anything is possible
and should be tried. In doing so,
innovation is certain.
Rita Santamaria is the owner and
CEO of Champions School of Real Estate
which was founded in 1983 and is a five
time Pinnacle Award Winning School. The
Champions School of Professional Development was founded in 2012 and has
grown in a short time to be a leading development venue for individuals and companies. For more information, visit their
websites at www.ChampionsSchool.com
or www.TheChampionsProfessional.com.